Number Of Dual-Language Programs Growing Across US.

The New York Times (10/9, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports dual-language public school programs are on the rise across the US, and a growing number are geared toward native English speakers, not just those learning English as a second language. In Utah, nine percent of the state’s “public elementary students are enrolled in dual-language programs,” and in Portland, Oregon, nearly 20 percent of kindergartners are. Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education Libia Gil, who directs the Office of English Language Acquisition, said that “while there was no definitive count of dual-language programs nationwide, ‘there are clear indications of a movement.’”